Adam, Ali and Lillian: April 2011

Friday, April 29, 2011

We have an announcement!

No, I'm not pregnant.

We are moving...

Well that dreaded blood work came back and Lily is anemic, not surprising since it runs in the family. But still, poor thing has to take supplements, and get re-tested! Not only that but it is manifesting itself! She is still wild and crazy but she seems to bruise very easily. The doctor (and I) think the anemia may be temporary because of a growth spurt; she does get the right foods to eat!!! Here is her bruise from crashing into the bed. It appeared literally three seconds after she fell!?

Have any of you heard about a baby being anemic? If so, what did you/whoever do about it?

Easter

Our Easter morning started off with Lily seeing her little basket complete with toys, clothes and bunny ears! Naturally this is what Lily thought of that.

After calming her down...

Then I tried to put on her bunny ears. Bad idea. She is screaming. Lucky you can't hear it.

Thanks to Adam we finally got a bunny ear picture, sorta

Since the basket was so much fun, I never got a picture of her in the "Easter dress." Ha maybe next year. We did get a family photo at our friends' house where Lily had her first egg hunt.

At the end of the day, I was grateful to Lily for reminding me that Easter is so much more than egg hunts, pictures and candy. It really is about family, love and the person who made that all possible forever.

Dumb and Dumber and a Birthday

Thursday, April 21, 2011

In celebration of Adam's 26th (right?) birthday we took a little trip to Newport Beach. While Adam was golfing, I decided to walk down to the beach with Lily. We already put sunscreen on and I had my stroller, camera, a few wet wipes and a towel so I was feeling prepared as we set out on our mile or so walk down. Now the last time I walked down to the beach from the hotel was almost three years ago when Adam and I got engaged there, so needless to say I didn't exactly remember the trek.

As we got closer, Lily and I stopped to look over the cliffs to the ocean, perhaps that should have been my first clue of impending disaster. Since we were in our "street clothes" i.e. no swimsuits, I was planning on letting Lily run in the sand, maybe touch the water, but that's about it. Fun huh?

I noticed we were heading downhill a bit more and thought the beach would be coming up any minute. Suddenly I saw a steep drop. I'm talking like 70 degrees maybe 80. I thought, heck I can do this! I have flip-flops! We walk down, not so bad, then the road gets sandy. And I start sliding, to one side there is a sheer drop-off and to the other, jagged rocks. I think, ok I am about to die and take my daughter with me. At least our last memories will be of the ocean. I am holding onto the stroller with all my might trying to get a grip with my shoes and a man appears at the bottom, grabs me and Lily and saves us. I thank him politely and pretend I was fine, as my heart is beating like crazy. He laughs and walks up the hill.

Next bad decision, I get Lily out and let her run around. What does she do? Runs straight into the water. Not just up to her feet but all the way. In her brand new clothes. As I rescue her we both get covered in sand. Well since it can't get any worse we play for a while; then its time to go back. I put Lily her stroller, where she rubs her face, getting sand everywhere. Then starts to cry. Then I remember the hill. So we are now both crying as I push the stroller up the hill in my bare feet. I had to stop every few steps so we didn't slide back down. We finally made it to a bathroom where I stripped her down, washed her off and walked back to the golf shop where we showered.

Lily took a nap and all was well again in the Hales' home. So we did what all happy Hales' do, we went to the pool. With the birthday boy!

Poor Lily

This is phrase I often hear out of Adam's mouth anytime Lily cries, which is usually only when I try to put her to bed. Most of the time I respond with "Poor Lily? No, poor Mommy." Since I am always the one up at night, changing the diapers, wiping the nose, I like to feel sorry for myself. However today Lily gets all the pity.

She went in for her 12 month check-up and here are the stats:

Height - 29.7 - 56%
Weight - 20. 25 - 28% (Finally enough for a "big girl car seat!")

Now the sad part. After getting two shots, the doctor told me Lily had to go for a blood draw! I didn't even know they did blood draws on healthy babies. So we went to the lab, where I had to hold Lily down while the technician found her little vein and stuck her with a needle that looked way to big. I couldn't look, but Lily was screaming and whimpering and I almost cried too.

Needless to say, poor Lily.

Wanted: One Shoe

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Dear Family and Friends:

Lily here.

I seem to have lost one of my brown shoes.

Mom thinks maybe I threw it in the trash since she can't find it anywhere. I can't really remember where I put it, that's not my job. Mom is a little annoyed with me, but really it is her fault for leaving them out where I could get them. And not teaching me the trash can is yucky. I claim complete innocence. My face proves it.

If you have seen my lost shoe, please let me know. And for the record, I NEVER make messes; I merely redecorate all the rooms I encounter.

The Almost Beach Trip

Friday, April 1, 2011

With yesterday's record high heat here in Cali, I felt like summer was already upon us! I am ready since I feel like it rained the entire month of March! Adam had to work at a client's office in Santa Monica, so Lily and I took the train into downtown LA for the first time! We wanted to go walk around the pier and see the area for the afternoon. We missed the first train (and I was hot from pushing her in the stroller to the station) so as we waited around for the next one; I decided to get a drink. Lily needed some too.

Naturally she spilled it all over the front of her shirt, but at least she was happy. After picking up the car we headed over to the Santa Monica Promenade. I love the outdoor malls around here since Lily does so much better in her stroller and I don't have to carry her around or chase her! I did let her run around for a bit and she took off into Old Navy. I couldn't figure out why until I saw this:

Yes, she is giving a mannequin a hug. And she loved the dog too! Lily LOVES other kids and tries to hug them all, alive or not apparently.

About halfway through our mall trip, Adam let me know we going to the Lakers game. They played against the Dallas Mavericks, so it was a great game to go to see. In my rush to find a "better" shirt - Adam let me know he thought my shirt was hideous and I "could buy a new one if I wanted," I didn't even take Lily to the beach that was two blocks away. I feel bad, but I will get her out there soon!

After an hour of traffic (we went a total of 16 miles. Ridiculous) we made it to the game. We were in PWC's box so we had awesome seats and plenty of room for Lily to run around. Naturally I forgot my camera at home, which happens anytime something unexpectedly fun comes along, so these were the best pictures I could get.